High performance cable with faraday ground sleeve

Abstract

An improved termination assembly for a multi-wire cable is disclosed. The assembly includes a carrier member that includes wire nest portions spaced along a base portion. The wire nest portions are hollow enclosures that contact the exterior grounding shields of the cable wires so as to electrically interconnect all of the cable wires together through a common ground.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A carrier for terminating a multi-wire cable, the multi-wire cable including a plurality of electrical wires, pairs of the electrical wires being encased in an insulative covering, each insulative covering including an exterior grounding shield associated therewith, the carrier holding the cable wire pairs in a preselected position and further interconnecting the cable wire pairs together to define a common ground, the carrier comprising:
 a conductive carrier member, the conductive carrier member including a preselected width large enough to permit spacing of the cable wire pairs thereupon in a pattern, wherein adjacent cable wire pairs are separated by an intervening space, the conductive carrier member including a plurality of nest portions defining a hollow enclosure for receiving and contacting one of the cable wire pairs, each nest portion including contact portions for contacting exterior grounding shields of the cable wire pairs and being interconnected together by base portions, each base portion including mounting surfaces for contacting and mounting the conductive carrier member to a ground plane of a connector, wherein the conductive carrier member is formed from an insulative block. 
 
     
     
       2. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive carrier member further includes a corrugated configuration such that the mounting surfaces are interposed between the nest portions. 
     
     
       3. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive carrier member further includes a plurality of peak and valley portions. 
     
     
       4. The carrier of  claim 3 , wherein each peak portion is separated from each other by intervening valley portions. 
     
     
       5. The carrier of  claim 4 , wherein each peak portion defines one of the nest portions. 
     
     
       6. The carrier of  claim 5 , wherein each valley portion defines one of the mounting surfaces. 
     
     
       7. The carrier of  claim 1 , where each nest portion is staggered lengthwise with respect to each other along the conductive carrier member. 
     
     
       8. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the insulative block includes a plurality of insulative block peak and valley portions formed along one surface thereof. 
     
     
       9. The carrier of  claim 8 , wherein each insulative block peak portion defines a nest portion and each insulative valley portion defining a mounting surface of one of the base portions. 
     
     
       10. The carrier of  claim 9 , wherein the mounting surface includes a conductive material disposed thereon. 
     
     
       11. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein each nest portion further includes a plurality of crimping legs. 
     
     
       12. The carrier of  claim 11 , wherein each crimping leg is foldable over and onto a cable wire pair inserted into the nest portion. 
     
     
       13. The carrier of  claim 12 , wherein each nest portion further includes two pairs of crimping legs. 
     
     
       14. The carrier of  claim 13 , wherein the two pairs of crimping legs are disposed along each nest portion in an opposing arrangement. 
     
     
       15. The carrier of  claim 13 , wherein the crimping legs are arranged in pairs and each pair of crimping legs includes a slot interposed therebetween. 
     
     
       16. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive carrier member further includes a leading edge that defines a cable wire alignment datum line for positioning the cable wires on the conductive carrier member in a preselected arrangement. 
     
     
       17. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein each base portion extends in a transverse direction and each nest portion extends at an angle to the base portions. 
     
     
       18. The carrier of  claim 17 , wherein each base portion extends in a transverse direction and each nest portion extends past opposing edges of the base portions. 
     
     
       19. The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive carrier member further includes at least one visual inspection opening formed therein that permits visual inspection of an attachment method used to attach the conductive carrier member to a ground plane. 
     
     
       20. A carrier for terminating a multi-wire cable, the multi-wire cable including a plurality of electrical wires, pairs of the electrical wires being encased in an insulative covering, each insulative covering including an exterior grounding shield associated therewith, the carrier holding the cable wire pairs in a preselected position and further interconnecting the cable wire pairs together to define a common ground, the carrier comprising:
 a conductive carrier member, the conductive carrier member including a preselected width large enough to permit spacing of the cable wire pairs thereupon in a pattern, wherein adjacent cable wire pairs are separated by an intervening space, the conductive carrier member including a plurality of nest portions defining a hollow enclosure for receiving and contacting one of the cable wire pairs, each nest portion including contact portions for contacting exterior grounding shields of the cable wire pairs and being interconnected together by base portions, each base portion including mounting surfaces for contacting and mounting the conductive carrier member to a ground plane of a connector, wherein the conductive carrier member is formed from a screen material.